5 Reasons Why an Antenna Should Be a Part of Your Cord Cutting Setup

Luke Bouma, Cord Cutter News on August 23, 2018

If you hang around the site you know I talk about the importance of an antenna in a cord cutting setup. Yet I think it’s important to go over this one more time as increasingly many cord cutters overlook this great free way to watch your favorite shows.

Increasingly major local affiliates are becoming available through live TV streaming services such as DIRECTV NOW, Hulu, and PlayStation Vue; however, even if you receive your major locals such as ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC that way you should really get an antenna.

Why is an antenna so important with your cord cutting setup? Here are my top 5 reasons why everyone should have an antenna as a part of their cord cutting setup.

#1 More Channels

Often when people think of OTA TV they think of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC; however, there is so much more out there. PBS, ION, and The CW are probably the other networks most cord cutters know, but there are even more.

Recently the CEO behind the Tablo DVR said the average Tablo DVR user gets more than 40 locals. Many of these are great channels such as MeTV, Antenna TV, Comet TV, Escape, and Laff, which air quality content from days past and current shows all 100% free.

Want to see what you can get in your area? Check out AntennaWeb.org to find out how many locals you can get.

#2 No Blackouts & No Outages

Streaming is still a fairly new technology, and it often struggles with blackouts and outages. The good news is every week these are become fewer and fewer; however, just like cable TV 30 years ago contracts and technology are still catching up. (And live TV streaming is already seeing a huge step forward in stability and reliability.)

OTA TV is older than cable TV and is a great way to know you will never miss that game or worry about outages.

#3 No Delay

Did you know that even cable TV is delayed a few seconds behind over-the-air TV? Streaming can average 30 seconds behind.

There are numerous factors that go into the delay in streaming. Your internet and device speed will affect how long it takes for you to load the stream. There is also a built-in delay for the signal to go from your local station to your provider and back down to you. Typically, that is just 30 seconds, but some cord cutters on slow devices and connections can see a longer delay.

OTA TV is the best way to make sure you see the game live without delay.

#4 Picture Quality

Not all HD is the same, and even cable TV compresses HD TV. While it is still technically HD, you will be shocked at how good OTA TV looks compared to cable and streaming.

So, if you want high quality HD images, OTA is the only way to go.

#5 OTA 3.0

This month the FCC is voting on the new OTA standard that will offer 4K video and better coverage of OTA TV. The good news is all current antennas will work with the 3.0 standard. Although we are still a few years away from most Americans having 4K OTA TV, it’s on its way and there is no time like now to get started.

So there you go. Five reasons why an antenna is a must have for cord cutters. Make sure to check and find out how many locals you can get.